D901C 8800M GTX slowdown issue

I've been hunting around here and on google and I can't find anyone with a problem similar to mine. I'm running an 8800m GTX and while gaming, I'll get intermittent fps drops to the 2-4fps (lasting from 20 seconds to a minute) that have no link to the complexity of the game environment, what operating system I'm using (vista x64 or windows 7 x64), or even what game I'm playing. It doesn't seem to be a heat issue (took off the bottom plate and blew all the dust out....there was hardly any), and I always run my fans on high when I'm gaming.

RivaTuner shows that I'm running at the correct clock speeds( 500mhz core, 1250 shader, 800 memory), and my idle temp is about 57 degrees). Any ideas why this may be happening? I can't find anyone else who has the same problem...not sure what to do at this point because I bought the laptop from the dreaded PCMW, and obviously can't send it there to be repaired. Thanks in advance for your help.

-Madcellist

 

Driver version?

 

8.16.11.9100, from 9/12/2009. 191.00 windows 7 version if you use that numbering scheme. It doesn't seem to make a difference which driver I use. I've tried several and they all have this problem.

 

Mine has a similar problem, but it only happends in games that are not resourcehungry, like wc3 and Fifa 10. What it does it downclocks the GPU to 3d clocks or even 2d clocks for some time, making the game to slow down a bit. alt-tab fix it instantly.

Not as bad as your problem, but kinda the same category. No temp issue and happends with every driver.

Have you checked what clocks the card runs at when the drops happen? Keep GPU-Z in the background with the "sensor" bar in front. Alt-tab during the slowdowns to see if the card downclocks.

 

Eivind: I haven't checked what the card runs at when the drops happen. Since I originally posted, I've been playing world of warcraft and haven't had the issue yet. It did happen when I was playing Batman, Arkham Asylum earlier tonight, but I can confirm that it does happen in ALL games. I'll give your suggestion a try when I get home later tonight.

 

Sounds like overheating... thats causing the videocard to downclock itself in order to cool down enough to get away from damaging the component from heat.

What is the temp of the videocard when the games starts to drop its framerate?
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If you are overheating... usually any temp over 90C degrees is bad.

when was the last time that you cleaned out the fans and vents thoroughly...?

if never, then thats why.

1) remove battery
2) remove/unscrew the panels on the bottom of the notebook to get to fans and vents ( if possible, if not its okay.. skip step 5)
3) use flashlight to look through vents for the dust (if you cant see the light on the other end, then the vents are clogged up)
4) go outside, get some compressed air (cans or compressor @ 50 PSI) and give the vents a good airing out all directions ( concentrating on the vents)
.... you might want to brace the fan blade(s) when airing it out (with a toothpick or paperclip to prevent it from spinning out too much)
.... or use short bursts (1-2 secs) of air instead of bracing the fans.
5) go get some Q-tips and swab the fan blades and the area around it
6) then go do a second airing with compressed air (all directions again focusing on the fans and vents) to push out the dust that was dislodged from the Q-tips

7*) Now go use the flashlight again and look through the vents (shine the flashlight from the fan, you look through the other end) for anymore dust clogs.

8) Then start up the notebook... and let the fans cycle up (use the Fan Toggle at max speed if your system has it) to push out any other dust that might have been stuck.

If all goes well you should be able to close up the notebook and...

you're done.

*repeat this step until its cleaned out.

Thats pretty much it.

Just make sure to do this every two-three months... it should take about 15-20min per cleaning if you want to be thorough.
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Gaming notebooks are a new thing, you must realize that you have to take some extra care of them over typical use notebooks:

1) Battery: to maintain the longevity of any rechargeable battery
- you must NEVER overcharge it [especially for long durations of time while it still be in use] by keeping it plugged into AC
- remember to give a full charge cycle (discharge it under 50% and charge it back to full) once a week if you constantly leave it plugged in.
- OR you can just charge it to 50%+ and remove the battery and store in cool dry place.. not the fridge [remember to use it occasionally 3-4 time a year to charge and discharge it].

2.) Heat: to prevent a healthy notebook from overheating
- ALWAYS use the notebook on a clean, hard & flat surface
- NEVER use on soft surfaces (laps, beds, couch, etc.) that can block the fans on the bottom
- RECOMMENDED to be used on a notebook cooler... namely the Zalman ZM-NC1000 or ZM-NC2000
- check your fans underneath occasionally (at least once a month or two) for any dust clogs [clean them out with Q-tips and air cans/compressors]
- ALWAYS monitor the temps (CPU, GPU, HDD, etc..) to watch for fluctuations, which would indicate overheating by dust usually

By doing these simple things, your entire system will easily last for more than 3 years.

 

LOL. But really it could be the driver issue with powermizer. Download the powermizer switch and have it shut off when on a/c.

 

Someone didn't read.

 

It could be the Powermizer switch as well.

 

Nice work, but in my case, I take good care of my Clevo. So what would cause the GPU to downclock during easy peasy games, making it lag? If it helps, the clocks have been on 3dclocks for a long time today during browsing and wont go down to 2dclocks.

I was wondering to flash my 3dclocks to something higher, but what is too high so it will reduce the cards longevity?

EDIT: Little late. Any links to powermizer? Haven`t really been into it before.

 

Tried the powermizer switch, but that is such a garbage! It causes the GPU to run on full speed all the time if you set it to off during A/C.

About the laptop idleing at 3dclocks was because I used my LCD TV as monitor. But still, is that normal? No aero or whatever.

 

Yep, that is normal, the gfx card will always run at 3d clocks if you have dual screens active

 

Update: Didn't get a chance to try anything last night, but I'm sitting here playing Batman right now and the issue just popped up again.

For Gophn: I already cleaned everything as you suggested before I posted. What has me concerned is that my GPU is getting up to 95C anyway under full load. Could it be that the thermal paste under the GPU heatsink is either bad or there isn't a proper seal? As far as the theory about the card downclocking to avoid damage, I'm running the game with powermizer off, and RivaTuner showed the correct clock speeds the entire time.
I'm getting a little worried about why everything might be in good condition, but the GPU is still overheating. I really hope it isn't faulty. That's a bit of an expensive fix.

 

Yes, I would try to reapply the thermal paste. It can`t hurt.

 

It looks like the thermal paste was the issue. When I removed the heatsink, there was a visible (though small) "hole" in the center of the layer of paste. I wiped off the old compound carefully and put down a new layer of arctic silver. Reinstalled heatsink, re-assembled the laptop, gave the fans/vents another good cleaning (there wasn't any more dust, as expected), and booted it up. Idle temps are around 30C cooler, full load temps are around 40C cooler than the old full load temps. To summarize that:

Old idle temp: 75C
New idle temp: 45-50C

Old load temp: 90-95C
New load temp: 55-60C

Obiously a huge improvement. Not only is the laptop once again cool to the touch, but the performance of the entire system(in-game and at the desktop) is substantially better.

Thanks all for your help, and let me know if you manage to solve your problem Eivind.

 

yup, re-applying thermal paste once a year is recommended.

glad your system is good to go again.